Joe Miller, Linden Lab vice president, platform and technology development, will be our special guest for GridTalk, where we'll talk with him about Windlight, new Second Life technology that makes the world more beautiful and realistic.

Windlight is client-side technology that significantly improves the rendering of atmospheric lighting and water. That may not sound like much, but it permeates the Second Life experience, making the whole world more realistic and enjoyable. It's still in preview mode, being worked on and developed, but you can download it and give it a try here.

Here's how to join us for in GridTalk:

• In Second Life: Be there Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. Second Life time/Pacific time at the amphitheater at Dr. Dobb's Island. SLURL Note the new time, we used to have GridTalk at 8 am, now it's later.

• On The Web: Visit the Dr. Dobb's chatbridge, using Flash-enabled browser. You'll need to register first, if you haven't already. You'll be able to hear the audio of the session and use chat to participate in the discussion and ask questions. The form asks you to provide your Second Life name, but that's optional; just give the name you want to use in the text chat.

And if you can't participate, you can listen in afterwards. We plan to record audio of the session, and make it available here as a podcast download. Watch this space next week.